


Feel Your Pain

by Everybody_Loves_Chocolate



Series: Kissing the Phantom Aches away [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Caretaking, Caring, Confessions, Fluff, Getting Together, Hyuck knows too much, I'm just gonna tag it, Is it fluff?, Late Night Writing, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT)-centric, Mentioned Huang Ren Jun, Not Beta Read, Pain, References to Depression, References to anxiety, Stress, Understanding, i mean it's still nice, idk - Freeform, look - Freeform, the concept was something fluffy and nice and i don't know what i made it into but...yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:09:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate/pseuds/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate
Summary: Mark could feel the mental problems he had in his body. It didn't really help when Donghyuck came into Mark's apartment unannounced and looking like he was going to go on a date.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: Kissing the Phantom Aches away [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931818
Comments: 6
Kudos: 104





	Feel Your Pain

Mark wasn’t okay. He really wasn’t.

His head was hurting and so was his wrist. Now, his wrist wasn’t physically hurting, he hadn’t done anything for it to be that way. But Mark felt his mental problems in his body as well. Over the years he had made a mental list about which problems surfaced where. Shoulders and back for stress, his cheekbones for sadness or devastation, his sides for depression, his chest and legs for anxiety. And his wrist was where everything accumulated.

Whenever Mark had a really bad day, was stressed out and anxious over assignments and his anti-depressants weren’t doing their job anymore, his wrists would hurt. Sometimes, it would be just a mild sting but often it would hurt a lot. Mark didn’t know why it was like that or how, but it that didn’t make it go away.

Lying in his bed, head and wrist hurting, Mark was groaning quietly, moving around and trying to ease the ache that nothing could be done about.

“Mark?” a quiet voice asked, floating through the air and smacking Mark right in the face. Donghyuck wasn’t supposed to be here. They hadn’t made any arrangements and Mark didn’t know why the younger would suddenly burst into Mark’s apartment unannounced.

“Mark?” Donghyuck asked again and Mark sat up, not wanting to worry him. Worrying Donghyuck only meant that Mark would have to explain what his problem was and Mark just knew the pain in his wrist would get worse if he had to. Still, he took a deep breath and got up, clutching his wrist shortly before letting go and calling, “I’m in my room. Wait a second, I’ll come out.”

“I already know you’re bi, though,” Donghyuck said, opening the door to Mark’s bedroom with a smirk. Mark rolled his eyes and faked a laugh. Back then, when he had told Donghyuck, his legs had almost given up on him.

With a huff, Mark looked Donghyuck up and down. He was dressed pretty nicely in a black turtle neck with matching black skinny jeans and a few chains around his waist. A rainbow coloured fanny pack was the only speck of colour in his outfit.

Raising an eyebrow and feeling the pain rushing from his cheekbones, chest, and legs to his wrist, Mark asked, “Why are you here, Hyuck? As far as I’m aware we didn’t wanna meet today or anything.”

Donghyuck scoffed, gently pushing Mark back into the room and onto his bed. Mark looked up at him with his eyebrows still raised. The younger stood over him with his hands on his hips and furrowed eyebrows. It looked kind of funny how he was standing but Mark didn’t feel like even cracking a smile.

“I-“ Donghyuck hesitated briefly. “Well, I knew you didn’t feel good so I came over. You need someone to care for you,” he announced and Mark gaped up at him. How in the hell did he know Mark wasn’t feeling well? Surely, Mark hadn’t said or done anything to raise that suspicion.

“So, where does it hurt?” Donghyuck asked and Mark was speechless. Quirking an eyebrow, Donghyuck opened his fanny pack and rummaged around in it for a while before pulling out Hello Kitty Band-Aids with a quiet _Aha_. He showed it to Mark with a proud smile, before diving right back into the pack and pulling out a small water bottle. Donghyuck handed it to Mark, telling him to drink up before searching for something in his pack again. And since Mark was weak for Donghyuck, he did as told, taking a few sips.

“Where does it hurt, hyung?” Donghyuck repeated and Mark finally got himself to answer, “I have a headache.”

Donghyuck looked somewhat disappointed and pulled out a cooling pack, silently preparing it before putting it on Mark’s head. His fingers were gentler than what Mark had expected since it looked like a storm was brewing behind Donghyuck’s eyes.

“Seriously,” Donghyuck began when he straightened up again, “Tell me everywhere where it hurts. I can probably help.”

“I doubt it.”

The words were out before Mark could stop them. Donghyuck was silent for a bit, then sighed and sat down next to Mark on the bed, Hello Kitty Band-Aids still in his hand. Slowly and softly, he took Mark’s hand, the one where the wrist was hurting. Mark hissed against his better judgement. The pain wasn’t real. He shouldn’t react to it.

Immediately, Donghyuck looked worried, gently pulling Mark’s hand over his lap to examine the wrist. When he couldn’t find anything he looked up at Mark with big eyes and brows that were drawn together in worry.

“Hyung, what did you do? I don’t see an injury,” Donghyuck whispered and Mark shrugged his shoulders. Even if he explained what was wrong, Donghyuck probably wouldn’t get it or think Mark was crazy. So Mark kept silent, wrist in Donghyuck’s gentle hands and avoiding the younger’s questioning gaze.

Donghyuck huffed, complaining, “Seriously hyung, just tell me. I can see the conflict in your eyes. Just give it up. I’m your best friend, for fuck’s sake!”

Exactly. Donghyuck was Mark’s best friend. His best friend and nothing more, nothing less, nothing Mark wanted him to be. Donghyuck was dressed nicely like he was going out on a date and instead of enjoying himself, Mark was making his life harder by feeling his mind in his body. How pathetic.

“It’s weird,” Mark mumbled, unable to pull his wrist from Donghyuck’s hold.

“Just tell me,” Donghyuck said, leaning forward a little to look up at Mark and catch his eye. Mark blinked, the pain flaring up again, and nodded, finally explaining, “It’s like- like I can feel my stress and anxiety and depression in a specific part of my body. And in my wrist it just meets I guess. I’m not actually injured, so-“

“But still, you’re hurting,” Donghyuck interrupted Mark and the elder pursed his lips but nodded. Donghyuck only sighed and ripped off a Band-Aid, opening the package. Mark was confused but he let Donghyuck do as he wanted because he always did.

Gently, Donghyuck lifted up Mark’s wrist and pressed a chaste, barely there kiss to it before carefully placing the Band-Aid on it. Mark’s heart was beating in his chest like he just ran a marathon and Mark was almost sure Donghyuck could hear it.

“There you go,” Donghyuck said with a small smile, petting the Band-Aid, “It’s going to be alright, hyung, I’m here for you. And it may not be alright right now but it will be and I’ll be there in every moment you need me.”

Mark nodded slowly, feeling the pain subside just a little at the younger boy’s words, dispersing to the parts they belong. It wasn’t gone, obviously, Donghyuck couldn’t just get rid of Mark’s depression or stress or anxiety, but he could lessen it just a little. At least until Mark really looked at him again, taking in the younger’s outfit.

Mark’s legs and chest and cheekbones hurt as he asked, “So, why are you dressed like that? Going on a date?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and smacked Mark’s shoulder. He put the Band-Aids back into the fanny pack as he asked, “And with whom am I supposed to go on a date, huh? And why?”

Mark shrugged, avoiding Donghyuck’s gaze again. He didn’t know who Donghyuck would go on a date with but he was old enough to make his own decisions and go out and have fun, not to mention how pretty he was. People where probably lining up to go on a date with him. Mark would be part of that line if he wasn’t such a coward.

“Look, hyung, I was going to ask someone out on a date, alright?” Mark’s breath hitched and his chest tightened considerably as his cheekbones felt hollow. His sides weren’t feeling number than they did normally but his depression didn’t play a part in his dumb crush on his best friend anyways. “It was you.”

What?

“What?”

Mark looked up and Donghyuck nodded. Confused, Mark furrowed his brows and tilted his head. As far as he was concerned Donghyuck and he had never talked about going on a date, never even insinuated it. So how come Donghyuck was going to go on a date with him.

Mark didn’t let himself hope, asking, “You meant, like, on a shopping date, right? Like what you and Renjun do with books every month?”

Donghyuck shook his head. He gently took Mark’s wrist again and leaned closer, way into Mark’s personal space but Mark didn’t dare to pull back, staring at the younger with wide eyes. Was Donghyuck saying he wanted to go on an actual date with Mark. A _date_? With _Mark_?

“I can see you thinking, hyung. Just shut up for a second, I’m going to explain,” Donghyuck murmured, so close Mark could see the little specks of brown in his eyes that were lighter than the rest. “I like you, alright?” Mark sucked in a breath but Donghyuck continued, undeterred, “I was going to tell you today and then ask you out on our first date. You know, for someone who prides himself in being subtle you sure as hell aren’t. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you looking at me all the time?”

“I- I don’t-“ Mark stuttered, brain having given up on him. Most of the pain in his body had subsided by now, only the ache in his shoulders and his sides persisting. Donghyuck smiled and rubbed his thumb over the skin on Mark’s wrist.

“It’s okay, take your time,” Donghyuck said, pressing a hesitant kiss to Mark’s temple. It didn’t hurt there but maybe it was a good choice nonetheless.

Slowly, Mark pulled Donghyuck into his arms and down onto the bed. They fit together, they always had but until now Mark hadn’t allowed himself to think about it. He hadn’t allowed himself to ever dream of anything.

As Donghyuck’s hair tickled Mark’s chin and the warmth of the younger seeped into his body, Mark closed his eyes and searched for the pain in his body.

He wasn’t okay, and maybe he would never be perfectly fine, but maybe, with Donghyuck by his side, he could get better.

**Author's Note:**

> The original idea: Everytime Mark is „hurting“ mentally, Hyuck puts a bandaid on him after kissing the spot he’s feeling it in and tells him that it’s going to be okay.
> 
> Supposed to be established relationship
> 
> The end product:It's the first time and it's not an established relationship
> 
> I hate myself
> 
> Edit: My mom found bandaids that say 'Bee happy' with the picture of a sheep in a bee costume and I think those would be more fitting that hello kitty bandaids. I'm too lazy to change it though so you'll have to bear with just knowing and not seeing it in the story. I'm using it as self-therapy by the way and they seem to be affective.


End file.
